The month of January has been brutal for retailers these past few years, with national chains declaring bankruptcy and local businesses closing their doors in the wake of poor holiday sales. At this time last year, Westfield Montgomery mall lost Brookstone, Teavana and Guess among others. The previous January, casualties included The Limited, Peet’s Coffee, American Apparel, Freddy and Naples Ristorante. This year, though, the mall is looking pretty good as we swing into January. Aside from the long-expected exit of Sears and the departure of holiday pop-ups like the Virtual Insanity video arcade, the only other closing we’ve noted so far is the teen apparel store MVP Supreme. Meanwhile, retail analysts say the bankruptcy boom is largely behind us and online merchants will be opening more brick-and-mortar stores this year. Will that be the case at Westfield Montgomery? Stay tuned to Store Reporter for the latest.
